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China's Growing Military Might
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John Henry
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Jun 22, 2007 20:35 PDT
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"And the sixth angel poured out his vial
upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that
the way of the kings of the east might be
prepared. And I saw three unclean
spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the
mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For
they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the
kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle
of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief.
Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk
naked, and they see his shame. And he
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
Armageddon." (Revelation
16:12-16)
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US FEARS GROW OVER CHINA MILITARY
The US Has Expressed Concern Over China's Growing
Military Might.
Friday, 25 May 2007
BBC News
Levels of trust between the US
and China are currently not very high
A Pentagon report given to Congress says Beijing is spending far more on
its military budget than admitted and calls for greater transparency.
The report highlights China's greater ability to mount pre-emptive
strikes, citing new submarines, unmanned combat aircraft and
sophisticated missiles.
China said in March it was increasing its military spending by 17.8% in
2007 but it still lags far behind the US.
The BBC's James Coomarasamy in Washington says the Pentagon paints a
picture of a country whose growing economic and political power is being
mirrored in "a comprehensive military transformation".
The annual report says Beijing is moving towards a more pre-emptive
defence strategy with the focus on its border areas.
It suggests that the possibility of US intervention in any crisis in the
Taiwan Strait is an important factor in China's military planning.
The report also describes a successful anti-satellite weapon test
conducted by the Chinese in January as posing a threat to "all
space-faring nations".
As in previous reports, there was strong complaint about a lack of
transparency in both China's military spending and its military aims.
"It would be nice to hear first-hand from the Chinese... we wish
there were greater transparency, that they would talk more about what
their intentions are," US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on
Thursday, prior to the report's release.
Its publication comes at the end of a week when a high level Chinese
delegation has been in Washington discussing areas of economic tension -
and is a further sign that the levels of trust between Washington and
Beijing are currently not very high, our correspondent says.
'Nuclear forces'
The Pentagon report highlights concerns about China's preparations to
deploy a mobile, land-based ballistic missile, with a range that
reportedly covers the entire United States.
China is adding a new class of
nuclear submarine to existing stock
The development of a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, equipped
with ballistic missiles with a range of more than 8,000km (5,000 miles),
is also cited.
Experts say the Jin-class vessels are capable of carrying 12 missiles,
with each one armed with three nuclear warheads.
One of these Chinese-built submarines is currently undergoing tests, and
five more are planned, says Andrew Yang of the Chinese Council for
Advanced Policy Studies in Taiwan.
Previously China had just one nuclear-powered submarine, which was so
unreliable it rarely travelled far from its base, Mr Yang said.
He added: "The Americans are concerned about whether a gradual
build-up of nuclear forces implies China will change its nuclear policy
of no first use."
Natural consequence
Over the last 15 years, China has been engaged in a massive military
build-up and modernisation programme.
It plans to allocate 350.9bn yuan ($45.9bn) to its military this year,
although some analysts say Beijing spends double or triple this amount.
However, the BBC's defence correspondent Rob Watson says US opinion is
divided over the strategic challenge posed by China.
Some see it as an emerging threat that must be countered at every turn -
others take a more benign view, seeing China's increased military
expenditure as a natural consequence of its growing economic power, our
correspondent says.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6691691.stm
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